4x5 Peelapart Instant Film and other Large Format Photographic topics.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Yellow Dot Bausch & Lomb 12"

Where do these yellow dots come from? Here is yet another enigmatic yellow mark on the rim of a lens - this one an uncoated, apertureless B&L projection lens or something of the like, mounted on a Speed Graphic lens board. Proceeds go to New55. This went for a really low price on ebay which was disappointing. One of the biggest obstacles we are facing with New55 is the paradox that many of our supporters will spend $3000 on a DSLR but think that $6 for a 4x5 shot (that the DSLR can never do) is too much. How can we present this in a cost per shot, or price per yield manner? I think it is hard to do. Five good photographs in a month would be a decent yield, though that depends on what one considers to be good.

To answer your question about the $6/sheet, it's actually a bargain.Tmax 100: $1.40/sheet (B&H price for box of 50)Develop at a quality lab: $3-6/sheet (looking at Gamma in San Francisco at $5.50/sheet, I'm sure there are others that are cheaper)8.5x11 RC contact print: $6.50 at Gamma, or $1.62/sheet and you have to cut them.

That's about $8.50/sheet if I send out my film to a quality lab, and I have to wait. I don't know what your film base is going to be, but even the cheapest stuff is about $1/sheet.

People will compare this to home developing, which is still going to run about $3-4/sheet if you also make contact prints at home, not counting your time. If this is a quality product with fine grain film and predictable, consistent results, I think it'll be a good deal at $6/sheet.

How much for a near magical experience each and every time a shot is taken? How much to freeze a moment in time, hold it in one's hand then come back to it years afterwards to be brought straight back to that very same moment once again?

I don't know about anyone else, but those are priceless moments that can never be quantified in monetary terms.

I, for one, cannot wait for New55 to be widely available as I will once more be able to seek out those priceless 5x4 moments.